Muslim Unity Essential for Liberation of Palestine

In a meeting with a delegation from Palestine's resistance groups in Tehran on Saturday, Larijani called for stronger Muslim support for Palestine, ICANA reported. Larijani described the critical situation in the Middle East, mainly fueled by the growth of terrorism, as a facilitating factor for Israel to continue its brutal crimes against Palestinians.

Palestine has been facing oppression since 1947, when the Zionist regime was established. Through the decades, the regime, called Israel, has occupied most of the Palestinian lands and killed thousands of citizens.

"Unfortunately, plots [devised by enemies] have diverted the attention of Muslims from the Palestine issue," he said. "Many problems in the region were preventable, but some western countries, especially the US and some regional states, created obstacles."

The top lawmaker said Iranian people and authorities consider supporting the Palestinian nation against the Israeli regime as a "religious duty".

The issue of defending Palestine is a central issue [in Iranian politics] and all parties and groups agree on it," he said.

Pointing to the fact that Tehran has been supporting the Palestinian cause since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the lawmaker explained that when it comes to fulfilling its duty of supporting Muslims, Iran does not differentiate between Shias and Sunnis.

Shia and Sunni are two major sects of Islam. Iran is a Shia-majority country, while most Palestinians are Sunni. Larijani said provoking division between Shias and Sunnis is part of a "conspiracy organized by colonial powers" to disperse Muslims and prevent their unity, which is vital for achieving Palestinian freedom.

"The Islamic Republic [of Iran] supports the Palestinian Intifada and their resistance against the Zionist regime," he said, "We should all devote efforts to bring back Palestine as the main issue of the Muslim world."

The Zionist regime is continuing to occupy the Palestinian lands, killing them and destroying their homes, despite strong international criticism.

Since the start of October 2015, at least 178 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed by Israeli forces in what is regarded as an Intifada (uprising), while the Israeli authorities demolished 645 homes last year and displaced 2,180 people, including 1,108 children.